A statement by a Bangladeshi minister claiming that Malaysia plans to recruit 200,000 workers from Bangladesh does not represent the official position of the country’s government, Communications Minister and Unity Government spokesman Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said.
Fahmi said he had contacted Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R Ramanan to clarify the matter and was informed that the statement came from a junior minister.
As such, he said the announcement should not be regarded as an official decision by the Bangladeshi government.
“I contacted the Human Resources Minister regarding the matter and he informed me that it was not an official statement from the Bangladesh government.
“It was issued by an individual, whom I understand to be a junior minister, so it does not represent an official decision by the Bangladesh government,” he said during a press conference following the Cabinet meeting today.
The clarification came after Bangladesh’s Deputy Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam reportedly said Malaysia was planning to take in around 200,000 Bangladeshi workers over the next six months.
He was reported to have said the workers would be recruited through companies approved by the Malaysian authorities, with the process expected to begin in stages at the end of September and be completed within six months.
The claim has drawn attention as Malaysia has previously tightened the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers amid concerns over the treatment of foreign labour.
In June, Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman reportedly asked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to consider reopening Malaysia’s labour market to Bangladeshi workers.
Malaysia restricted the recruitment of workers from Bangladesh in 2024 following reports of exploitation, including debt bondage, forced labour and workers arriving in the country without the jobs they had been promised.
Fahmi’s clarification means any proposed intake of 200,000 Bangladeshi workers should not be treated as a confirmed Malaysian government decision unless formally announced by the relevant authorities.
